IAEA delegation visits Al-Mowasat Hospital in Damascus to discuss prospects of cooperation

A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday visited Al-Mowasat University Hospital in Damascus, and discussed with the hospital management prospects of cooperation in the fields of medical services and academic training as well as the possibility of providing support to develop work in the skin bank in the hospital in addition to the establishment of a laboratory for growing human cells in the hospital.

The delegation was briefed on the reality of work in the skin bank and the burns division, and on the operations that are carried out in this field, especially how to harvest skin from donors, make the necessary approach to it, preserve it, and apply it to patients with major burns who need skin.

This visit comes within the framework of cooperation between the Syrian Atomic Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to take a look at the reality of the burns division and the techniques used in the skin bank, which was established several years ago as the first of such banks in Syria.

The head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Restoration and Burns in the hospital, Dr. Maan Al-Aysami, explained the work of the division and the skin bank in the hospital, the type of patients who need help, the distribution of services throughout Syria, the obstacles to work, the local solutions and the procedures that are taken based on the need.

Al-Aysami explained that the delegation came up with an idea to develop a skin bank of all kinds, in addition to other projects that will be carried out in cooperation with the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission, noting that the Burns Division includes specialists trained in the best centers in the world.

Selina Horak, a researcher at the International Atomic Energy Agency, pointed to the importance of knowing the situation of work at a skin bank and how to provide assistance in order to develop the services provided.

Horak noted the high experience that the Syrian side possesses, indicating that there is a great opportunity and scope for developing these experiences, which will be reflected in the improvement of medical and treatment services provided to patients with major burns, pointing out that the Agency has several financing projects and plans to be proposed to the Syrian side.

The delegation, which includes an integrated team of doctors, technicians, administrators, and specialists in the field of biological and cell transplantation, explained how to build a multi-format skin bank, the basic steps that must be followed, and the conditions that must be met according to the laws adopted in the country, in addition to the large material cost that it requires.

It is noteworthy that the work began with the “Skin Bank” within the Department of Plastic Surgery, Restoration and Burns in the hospital at the beginning of 2021, in a step that is the first of its kind at the level of Syrian hospitals, so as to cover material losses resulting from large burns in adult patients and children, which are difficult to compensate for from these patients, which necessitates providing them with free skin grafts instead of biological and artificial grafts that are financially costly and have great risks.

NR